Pan Seared Tri-Tip Steak

This recipe is for tri-tip cut into individual steaks, also known as Newport steaks. I dry-brine them, sear them over high heat in a hot skillet, and finish them with garlic-herb compound butter. They cook from start to finish in the skillet, with no oven needed.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the steaks:

• Tri-tip steaks: A typical tri-tip steak weighs about 7 to 10 ounces (200 to 300 grams), which is about one serving. Look for steaks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, or thicker if possible. Thicker cuts give you more time to build a good crust on the outside before the center reaches your target pull temperature.
• Salt: Use about 1% of the steak’s weight in salt for the dry brine. For a 10 oz (280 g) steak, that’s about 0.10 oz (2.8 g) of salt. I use kosher salt because it’s easier to spread evenly over the meat, but table salt works too. Salt varies a lot by brand and crystal size, so weighing it gives you the most consistent results. Once you know your salt, you can eyeball it. I’ve included approximate teaspoon amounts for a few common salts in the recipe below.
• Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for searing. I usually use refined avocado oil, but refined olive oil, refined high-oleic safflower oil, refined high-oleic canola oil, refined canola oil, or refined peanut oil work well. Ghee (clarified butter) is another good option. Don’t use regular butter for searing because it burns quickly over high heat.

For the garlic-herb compound butter:

This makes enough compound butter for 3 smaller tri-tip steaks.

• Butter: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick; 56 g) unsalted butter. Use real butter, not margarine.
• Garlic: 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed.
• Parsley: 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried.
• Rosemary: 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.
• Salt and black pepper: Start with a generous pinch of each (about 1/8 teaspoon), then taste the butter and add more if needed.

Tools You’ll Need

• Wire rack and rimmed baking sheet: For dry-brining the steaks. The rack keeps the steak elevated, letting air circulate around the meat, while the baking sheet catches any drips.
• Heavy skillet: A cast-iron skillet is the best choice because it holds heat extremely well and helps the steaks develop a deep, even crust. A carbon-steel or heavy stainless-steel skillet will also work. Don’t use a nonstick skillet for high-heat searing.
• Long tongs: Give you better control and keep your hands safe from heat and splattering oil.
• Meat thermometer: To monitor the steak’s internal temperature and avoid overcooking. An instant-read thermometer is great for quick temperature checks, while a leave-in probe lets you track the steaks as they cook and makes it easier to pull them at the right temperature.

How to Pan-Sear Tri-Tip Steaks

Optional: Trim and Cut the Tri-Tip Into Steaks

Skip this step if your tri-tip is already trimmed and cut into individual steaks.

Tri-tip has a fan-shaped grain pattern, with the fibers spreading out from the wide corner toward the two narrower tips. Since the grain direction gradually shifts across the roast, cutting it into two pieces first makes it easier to slice into evenly sized steaks across the grain.

Lay the roast out like an L, then fold the top of the L down toward the bottom, like it’s “touching its toes.” Cut from the inside corner of the L toward the point where the two sides meet. You’ll end up with two separate pieces.

Check the grain direction in each piece, then slice across it into steaks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, rotating the meat as needed to keep your cuts as close to perpendicular to the grain as possible. This video does a great job of showing the process step by step:

Dry-Brine the Tri-Tip Steaks

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels to remove any surface moisture. Season each steak all over with salt equal to about 1% of its weight. For steaks of different sizes, measure the salt for each one separately so the seasoning stays proportional to the weight.

For a 10 oz (280 g) tri-tip steak, that’s about 0.10 oz (2.8 g) of salt.

• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt,
• 2/3 teaspoon Morton kosher salt,
• or 1/2 teaspoon table salt.

Place the steaks on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour. For the best flavor and crust, let them dry-brine for 2 to 3 hours.

Short on time? If you don’t have at least 1 hour, season the steaks right before they go into the pan, or salt them to taste immediately after searing.

Make the Garlic-Herb Compound Butter

Cut the butter into small cubes, place them in a bowl, and let them soften at room temperature until easy to mix but not so soft that it starts to melt. To speed things up, microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl in 5-second bursts, checking after each one.

Add the garlic, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mash everything together with a fork until evenly combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Keep the compound butter refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.

Preheat the Pan

About 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook, take the steaks out of the refrigerator. Set the compound butter out at the same time so it has a chance to soften before serving.

Searing steak creates a lot of smoke, so turn on the exhaust fan or open a window before heating the pan. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil and heat it for another minute.

While the pan is heating, pat the steaks dry again with paper towels. A dry surface browns faster because the heat goes straight to searing the meat instead of evaporating surface moisture.

Pan-Sear the Tri-Tip Steaks

Place the steaks in the hot skillet, leaving some space between them. Flip the steaks every 30 seconds until they reach the pull temperature for your desired doneness listed in the chart below.

After about 3 minutes, start checking the internal temperature. Insert the meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the steak. Check each steak separately, and remove thinner pieces as soon as they reach their target pull temperature.

Once the steak reaches its pull temperature, transfer it to a cutting board, top with compound butter, and let it rest for 5 minutes. The residual heat will continue cooking the steak and bring it up to its final doneness.

Pan-Seared Tri-Tip Steak Temperature Chart

Desired doneness	Pull at internal temp	Final temp after resting
Rare	110°F (43°C)	125°F (52°C)
Medium-Rare	120°F (49°C)	135°F (57°C)
Medium	130°F (54°C)	145°F (63°C)
Medium-Well	140°F (60°C)	155°F (68°C)
Well-Done	150°F (66°C)	165°F (74°C)

Don’t crowd the pan; cook them in batches if necessary. 1-inch (2.5 cm) steaks cook quickly, so a second batch only takes a few extra minutes. Let the skillet reheat for a minute or two between batches. If the pan looks dry, add a little more oil.

Slice and Serve

After the steaks have rested for at least 5 minutes, slice them for serving. If you cut the tri-tip against the grain when you portioned it into steaks, slice the cooked steaks thinly, however you like. If not, slice them thinly against the grain. Slicing against the grain shortens the muscle fibers and makes the meat easier to chew.

Serve the steak with your favorite sides.

What Is the Best Doneness for Pan-Seared Tri-Tip Steak?

For me, tri-tip is at its best medium-rare to medium, around 135 to 145°F (57 to 63°C). At this doneness, you get the best balance of flavor, tenderness, and juiciness. Cook it past medium, and the meat turns tough, dry, and chewy. Cook it rare or below, and the texture is unpleasantly firm and slightly slippery.

What to Serve with Pan-Seared Tri-Tip Steak

Tri-tip has a strong, beefy flavor, so I keep things simple and serve it with potatoes and a fresh green vegetable. If I skip the garlic-herb compound butter, I like to serve it with something bright, like chimichurri. The fresh, tangy sauce goes really well with the rich beef.

Here are some of my favorite sides:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• French Fries
• Steakhouse Potato Wedges
• Tomato and Red Onion Salad
• Arugula Salad
• Roasted Green Beans
• Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Broccolini
• Macaroni and Cheese

Tips for the Best Pan-Seared Tri-Tip Steak – Key Takeaways

• Separate the tri-tip roast into its two sections, then slice each one against the grain into 1-inch (2.5 cm) steaks.
• Dry-brine for 2 to 3 hours. This gives the salt time to season the meat more deeply while the steak’s surface dries in the refrigerator. With less surface moisture when the steak hits the hot pan, it browns faster and develops a deeper, more even crust.
• Use about 1% salt by weight. That’s enough to season the meat well without risking over-salting it.
• If you can’t dry-brine for at least an hour, salt right before cooking. Salting 2 to 45 minutes ahead pulls moisture to the surface, making it harder to get a deep, well-browned crust, especially with thinner cuts.
• Use a heavy skillet: A cast-iron skillet is the best choice for this recipe, but carbon steel or heavy stainless steel are both good alternatives.
• Preheat the pan well. Heat it over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the oil and heat it for another minute before adding the steak.
• Use a high-smoke-point oil. Refined avocado oil is a great choice. Do not use regular butter because it burns quickly over high heat.
• Pat the steaks completely dry just before placing them in the pan for a much better crust.
• Don’t crowd the skillet: Too many steaks at once will drop the pan temperature and ruin the sear. Cook in batches if needed so the skillet stays hot enough to build a deep crust.
• Flip the steaks every 30 seconds. Frequent flipping helps them cook more evenly and gives you better control over doneness.
• Use a meat thermometer. Check each steak separately rather than relying on cooking time, and pull thinner pieces as soon as they reach their pull temperature.
• Cook tri-tip medium-rare to medium. Around 135 to 145°F (57 to 63°C) gives you the best balance of tenderness and juiciness.
• Pull the steaks well before they reach their final temperature: With a hard, fast sear, carryover cooking is significant, so pull the steaks about 15°F (8°C) below your final target temperature.
• Top with compound butter and rest for 5 minutes. The butter melts over the hot steaks while carryover heat brings them to their final doneness.
• Slice the cooked steaks thin. If you portioned the raw roast against the grain, slice the steaks thin for serving. Otherwise, slice them against the grain to shorten the muscle fibers and make them easier to chew.

I break down these tips in much more detail in my pan-seared steak guide.

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Try Some of My Other Steak Recipes

• Pan-Seared Outside Skirt Steak
• Pan-Seared Flank Steak
• Pan-Seared Hanger Steak
• Pan-Seared Ribeye Steak
• Pan-Seared Flat Iron Steak